Archives for August 2007

While some of us do not have the gusto to set out traveling solo, many of us couldn’t imagine doing anything but. Traveling solo does not mean being by your lonesome. It means meeting more people, having more experiences, and gaining more confidence. Do you want to be more approachable? More willing to venture into spontaneity? Accept the invite to that local village? Get smashed with a native? You’ll be more likely to if you’re solo.
Want to save money? Think about the flexibility of being on your own. No budget compromises.
It is easier to get into that popular hostel in Slovenia. It is easier to get that last seat on a bus, train, or fly stand by.
Does your gloom index have you singing the blues? True: It is harder to get over those feelings of loneliness when your solo…. but those were some of the best techniques I acquired on my last trip. Lessons in ‘go with the flow’-ity and ‘why be upset’-ness? Lessons that cured temporary anxiety problems without a prescription.

That said, traveling with good friends can increment your happy level exponentially. Some of the best times of my life have been traveling with a group of 5 other people I met on the road. Taking the two day slow boat up the Mekong River from Laos to Thailand with my Canadian soul sister and group of four rowdy Swiss boys provided more laughs and feelings of “all is right with the world” than I’ve ever had in my life.

So maybe a good trip consists of a mixture of both.

Before you set out on an extended trip with a companion, think about it. Do a lot of communicating. Manage expectations. Here’s some advice from former departed (and arrived) of things to think about.

Determine one’s travel profile
Could your travel partners be considered sports enthusiasts? What about eco-adventure maniacs? Go-getters, philanthropists, party animals, beach bums, culture vultures? There are about as many different travel profiles out there as there are people. It’s a good idea to have some indication of the type of traveling that is expected by you and yours.

Discuss your travel profile
Spell out how you would like to spend your time and the expectations you have about the trip BEFORE making plans.

Sketch out special needs
Any group is likely to have at least one person with some special requirement. Someone may be a light sleeper and therefore anti-hostel, one may suffer from severe motion sickness and therefore not willing to travel by bus. Getting a preliminary idea of some of the limitations you may incur by other people’s special needs can allow for extra consideration and ease tensions that might occur while on the trip.

Don’t Create a Detailed Plan
Build in flexibility. Negotiate. Plan to split up and meet again if necessary. Don’t be afraid to try new things. Be open to a changing itinerary.

Whatever the case, the situation, or the argument, remember this: You are on holiday. Relax, enjoy.

Planning on what to teach on the first day of public elementary school? There are lots of things that you can do to impress everyone and get appreciation. You can prepare an introduction lesson which should be quiet simple and light. Let the Korean students and teachers get to know you. You can make a PowerPoint presentation with information about your hometown and family so that the students and teachers get used to listening to your accent and voice.

After the introduction you can play a well known game where you can write 10 sentences on the board; 8 correct and other 2 wrong and let the students guess them. Next its students turn, let them write sentences. The key is to have all the students participate and get over the fear of speaking in front of the crowd. You can also keep your base lessens on the side and be prepared to expand. If you teach easy lessons, the students will criticize, but they will participate. If you teach complicated lessons, the students will criticize and do nothing. Its better to start to easy.

You can also focus on the school life in your home country as a PowerPoint presentation. The kids will like it if you compare school life in your country and that in Korea. Let the students come up with questions.

Sitting on your hands? I suggest the FIP (F#ck It Principle). Get up and go.

Be Flexible
Screw the “avoid peak season to save money on transportation and accomodation” advice. Munchen for Oktoberfest rocks! Southeast Asia during Chinese New Year is throw down. Save your money by being flexible and by last minute ticket booking. Try www.cheaptickets.com or www.hotwire.com

Consider Climate Trends
DO take into consideration the weather. While you may be seeking great adventures, a major hurricane can depress even the most adventurous of plans. Just pay attention to, and prepare for (if necessary) some of the predictable weather patterns. For example:
– Hurricane season in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico is from June 1 through November 30 (greatest risk in August, September, and October).
– The Pacific typhoon season has no official bounds (it sometimes runs year-round), but most tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between June and December.
– Tornado season in the States lasts from April through August. Here’s a map of the hot states http://www.tornadochaser.net/tornadoalley.jpg
– Be aware that rainy seasons can cause landslides and dry seasons can spark wild fires, especially in national parks
– Power outages can be caused by major thunderstorms or snow storms
– Volcanos can spew ash and rock for 30 kilometers, the noxious fumes for 160 kilometers
– Climates can vary from extreme hot to extreme cold
– Local distasters can encourage price gouging, therefore increasing your spending and potentially breaking your budget

While there is no way to avoid all potential risks (and why would you want to?) simply paying attention, heeding warnings, and being prepared can ensure your vacation does not turn into an episode of Survivor.

Know Local and International Holidays
You may want to avoid holidays or you may want to follow them. Either way, knowing them can help you avoid any unpleasant surprises. Take into consideration that some countries follow the lunar calendar (therefore placing New Year’s sometime in February as opposed to Janunary 1).

Watch Exchange Rates
While this may be too much work for some (for me, at least) sometimes a whole country will go “on sale” compared to your native currency. It may be worth rerouting yourself to save some extra dough.

The animals of South Korea have been put on a diet after almost 10 years of eating processed foods. At the Seoul Grand Park, the animals have been eating more amounts of food then normal intake per day, so the management has decided to increase the natural food intake and decrease the amount of processed foods. Also adding some exercise programs for the animals.

The management has banned the people from throwing squid snacks and cheese puffs at animals. Some people don’t like calling Seoul Grand Park a Zoo; they call it a prison for animals. It’s a depressing place for animals, especially for the wolfs who are kept in a concrete caged area with no space. People want it to be more like other zoos in the world. If they have a lot of space, they should open it up for the animals.

“Feeding the animals according to the 1998 guidelines made the animals overweight”, said Seon-Deok, member of the animal management team, “Horses, for example, like processed food better than grass, which is what they would be eating in the wild”. The zoo will start cutting down the quantity of processed food for the animals along with some health programs.

If you are in a fix and need to leave the country before your contract expires, chances are that you will have to face an assault caused by your employer. Even if it’s a family emergency and you have to leave abruptly. There are two things that you can do to avoid it.

1. You could leave without the employer’s knowledge

2. Let your employer know that you are leaving if he/she is kind hearted.

Although either case has its pros and cons, you can go ahead one way or the other at least for that matter.

What will the immigration do if they find out? If you have this question in your head, then you are right in asking it.

Your employer can only file a false case against you to prevent you from leaving, however this will be weeks together of paperwork and a total waste of time and money that no one would like to bear, simply because after all the hue and cry, they still have to get another teacher and wouldn’t like to waste their resources unless they benefit from it.

Who knows, if you are lucky, your employer may even pay you your severance of flight with a good hope of you coming back, or simply out of a grateful heart.